Cages for Parrots

Minimum internal dimensions by size class

The working rule is that a bird must be able to turn around fully with wings extended, and flap without primaries or tail striking the bars. Manufacturer descriptions are frequently optimistic, so measure the internal usable space, not the external footprint including the seed skirt and stand.

• Cockatiel, budgerigar, small parakeet: from 61 x 46 x 61 cm (24 x 18 x 24 in), bar spacing 1.3-1.6 cm.
• Conure, caique, Indian Ringneck, Quaker: from 61 x 61 x 91 cm (24 x 24 x 36 in), bar spacing 1.6-1.9 cm.
• African Grey, Amazon, Eclectus, Goffin's and Major Mitchell's Cockatoo: from 91 x 61 x 122 cm (36 x 24 x 48 in), bar spacing 1.9-2.5 cm.
• Blue-and-Gold and Scarlet Macaw: from 122 x 91 x 152 cm (48 x 36 x 60 in), bar spacing 2.5-3.8 cm.
• Hyacinth Macaw: from 152 x 91 x 183 cm (60 x 36 x 72 in); a walk-in flight is strongly preferred.

Bar spacing is a safety specification

Bars set too far apart allow a bird to push its head through and become trapped, which causes strangulation and neck injury. Bars set too close prevent climbing and can trap toes. Match the spacing to the species, not to the cage's marketing category - a cage sold as "large parrot" may carry macaw-width bars that a Grey can put its head through.

Horizontal bars on at least two sides matter for climbing species such as macaws, cockatoos and Greys. Vertical-only bars turn the whole enclosure into a smooth wall the bird cannot use.

Metals: the part that quietly kills birds

Zinc and lead toxicosis are among the most common avoidable poisonings in companion parrots. Galvanised wire is zinc-coated, and a bird that chews it - which every parrot will - ingests zinc directly. Symptoms include vomiting, increased thirst and urination, weakness and neurological signs, and the condition is frequently fatal without chelation therapy.

Safe choices are 304 or 316 stainless steel, which is inert and lifetime-durable, or a good-quality powder-coated wrought iron where the coating is thick, intact and non-toxic. Inspect powder coating regularly; once a large parrot has chipped through to bare metal, the cage needs repair or replacement. Avoid unbranded imported cages with unknown coatings, decorative brass fittings and lead-weighted bases.

Placement, and the rest of the setup

• Position one side against a wall. A cage in the middle of a room offers no refuge and raises baseline stress.
• Keep the cage out of the kitchen. Overheated PTFE-coated cookware releases fumes that kill birds within minutes; so do self-cleaning oven cycles, some space heaters and certain hair appliances.
• Avoid direct draughts, direct all-day sun, and the top of a fridge or a radiator.
• Fit perches of varying natural diameters at different heights, with the highest perch not so high that the bird's head touches the roof.
• Use bolt-type or padlocked latches for cockatoos and macaws. Spring clips are opened by a determined bird in days.